Railroad-signal.



N0. 633,7l7. ,Patented Sept. 26, I899.

H. R. DORE.

RAILROAD SIGNAL.

\Applicaflon filed June 10, 1899.=

(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet l.

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N0. 633,7l7. Patenfed Sept. 26, I899. H. R. DORE.-

RAILROAD SIGNAL.

[Application filed June 10, 1899! 2 Sheets-Sheet z (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IIERlllAN R. DORE, OF MOULTONVILLE, NE? HAMPSHIRE.

ERAILROAD-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 633,717, dated September 26, 1899.

Application filed June 10, 1899- Serial No. 720,068. (No modelfl 7 1'0 all 20700110 it 'm/u/y/ concur-12 Be it known that I, HERMAN R. DORE, a resident of Moultonville, in the county of Carroll and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invent-ion relates to an improvement in railroad-signals, the object of the invention being to provide a system of block-signals which will operate automatically when a locomotive passes over the track.

A further object is to provide a system of railroad-signals which will be so constructed as to operate the semaphores at each end of a block and sound an alarm and operate a danger-signal at a road or street crossing.

A further object is to provide a railroadsignal system which will operate automatically to raise and lower the semaphores at the respective ends of a block simultaneously when a train is entering or leaving a block.

lVith these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view showing an application of my improvements to a railroad. Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view in side elevation, illustrating two semaphores and cooperating devices. Fig. 4: is a rear view of a post and semaphore devices, and Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the alarm mechanism.

A represents a railroad-track, and B a series of posts arranged one at each end of a block of any desired length. Vertically-disposed rods 1 are mounted to turn in suitable bearings on each post B and are provided on their upper ends with arms 2, secured between their ends on the upper end of the rods and provided with a hole or opening in each "end for a purpose more fully hereinafter explained.

The lower end of each rod 1 is made with a horizontal arm 3, provided at its free end with an inverted-U-shaped yoke 4, between the vertical members of which a crank-arm 5, at one end of a rock-shaft 6, is disposed. The rock-shaft is mounted in suitable bearin gs 7 and terminates between the rails of the track, being provided at its free outer end with an upwardly-projecting arm 8 to be struck by a locomotive for the purpose of rocking the shaft to operate the semaphores, and said shaft is normally retained in such position as to maintain the arm 8 in a verti cal position by means of springs 9. Each spring 9 is secured between its ends to a pin on the rock-shaft and is coiled around the shaft and secured at its end to a timber or box 10.

Each arm 2 is provided near one end with a hole 11, in which one arm of a bell crank lever 12, pivoted to the post, as shown at 13, is secured, and the other end of the bellcrank lever is connected to a semaphore 14, pivotally attached to the post. The arm 2 at one end of a block is connected with the arm 2 at the other end of the block by wires 15, which pass through holes in the end of the arms and extend diagonally from one end of one arm to the other end of the other arm and are supported in eyes 16 in opposite sides of poles 17, disposed at points throughout the block.

One end of each wire is partially coiled, as shown at 18, to take up the necessary contraction and expansion of the wires due to the change of temperature.

0 represents a crossing, and D a post disposed in proximity thereto. An electric bell 19 is secured to one side of the post D, and an arm 20 is pivoted between its ends on the upper end of the post and is provided with an outwardly-projectingcontact-point 21, adapted to make contact with a block 22, pivoted to the top of the post. One of the wires 15, connected with the semaphore devices, is provided between its ends with a bar 23, cut out on its upper edge to form a recess for the reception of one end of the arm 20, which is provided with a covering 24 of insulating material, and said bar 23 is provided with a projection or shoulder 25 to strike the end of the arm and move the same when the wire 15 is moved in one direction. The other end of the arm 20 is provided with an outwardly-projecting lug 26, adapted to be engaged by one member of a bell-crank lever 27. The'other member of the bell-crank lever is connected with a crank-arm on one end of a rock-shaft 28 (similar to the rock-shafts 6) by a rod or pitman 29. The block 22 is provided on one side with alug or projection 30, disposedin a hole or opening in the bar 23. Any suitable electric battery maybe employed to operate the electric bell and in the circuit of which battery the circuit-breaker, comprising the arm 20 and block 22, is included. The operation of this portion of my invention is as fol lows: hen a rock-shaft 5 at one end of the block including the crossing G is struck by a locomotive, it will (simultaneously with the operating of the semaphores at each end of the block) pull the block 22 to a position to throw the contacts together and sound the alarm. The bell will ring until the locomotive strikes the rock-shaft 28, which will operate the bell-crank lever 27 to throw the arm 20 out of engagement with the block 22, and hence break the circuit and stop the sounding of the bell. Vhen the locomotive strikes the rock-shaft 5 at the other end of the block, it will pull the bar 23, and the shoulder 25 thereon will strike the insulated arm 20 and throw the same to its first position, ready to be again operated to sound the alarm.

A crossing-signal is pivoted to the post D and comprises two parallel strips 34, having a colored transparent portion 35 (preferably of glass) near their forward ends and connected together by a strip 36. The lower portion of one strip 34 is connected with one of the wires 15, so that when a train is entering the block it will operate the wire to pull the crossing-signal 33 to a vertical position and show the danger-signal and when the train leaves the block it will throw the crossing signal to a horizontal position and hide the colored portion thereon behind a suitable screen 37 provided for the purpose.

Various slight changes might be resorted to in the general form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a danger-signal for railroads, the combination with a post, of a semaphore pivoted to said post, a vertical rod mounted on said post, a horizontal arm secured between its ends on said rod, a yoke on the other end of said rod, a bell-crank lever connecting one end of said arm with the semaphore and a rock-shaft adapted to be struck by a passing locomotive to operate the yoke and semaphore.

2. In a blocl -sig11al for railroads, the combination with a post at each end of the block, of a semaphore pivotally connected therewith, a vertical rod connected to each post, a horizontal arm secured between its ends to each of said rods, diagonally-disposed wires connecting opposite ends of said arms, a bellcrank lever connecting each arm with its semaphore, and means in proximity to the track adapted to be struck by a passing locomotive to operate the rods, to raise and lower the semaphore.

3. In a railroad-signal, the combination with a post disposed at each end of a block, of a semaphore pivotally connected to each post, two vertical rods connected with each post, arms secured between their ends on each rod, diagonally-disposed wires secured at opposite ends of said arms at respective ends of a block, a yoke secured to each of said rods, rock-shafts in proximity to the track and having an end disposed in and adapted to move in said yokes and bell-crank levers connect-ing the arms and semaphores so that when the yokes are operated by the rockshafts the arms at each end of a block will raise or lower the semaphores simultaneously.

4. In a railroad-signal, the combination with posts disposed at the respective ends of a block, of vertical rods connected with said posts, arms on said vertical rods, diagonal wires secured at opposite ends of said arms at the respective ends of a block, an electric alarm, a circuit-closer in the circuit of said electric alarm, and means for operating said circuit-closer.

5. In a railroad-signal, the combination with posts disposed at respective ends of a block, of a post disposed between said firstmentioned posts, an electric alarm, a circuitcloser and visible signal on said central post, operating means on said first mentioned posts adapted to be operated by a train, and connecting devices between the train-operated devices and the visible signal and circuitcloser.

6. In a railroad-signal, the combination with posts disposed at respective ends of a block, of a vertical rod connected to each of said posts, an arm secured between its ends on the upper end of said rod, an outwardlyprojecting member on the lower end of each of said rods, a'vertically-disposed inverted- U-shaped yoke secured on the outer end of said'member, a rock-shaft having one end disposed in said yoke and the other in proximity to the track and adapted to be struck by a locomotive, diagonal wires connecting opposite ends of the arms so as to operate them simultaneously, and means connected to said arms for operating a semaphore on each post when a rock-shaft is struck by a locomotive.

7. In a railroad-signal, the combination with two posts and a semaphore mounted on each post, of a vertical rock-shaft having a horizontal arm at its lower end, a yoke depending from said horizontal arm, a horizontal rock-shaft adapted to be actuated by a In testimony whereof I have signed this train a crank-arm on said horizontal rockspecification in the presence of two snbsoribshaft normally disposed between the ends of ing Witnesses. said yoke, a connection between each verti- I-IERMAN R. DORE. cal shaft and the respective semaphore and l I Vitnesses:

FRANK WEEKs, ADDIE J. LITTLEFIELD.

means for communicating motion from one vertical rook-shaft to another. 

